


anyone from a pretty how town

by chesire (kierenwalkers)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pushing Daisies, M/M, brief mentions of choking and poisoning (but not explicit), discussion of death (not that much though just like... a bit), it makes more sense if youve watched the show...., temporary major character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 10:25:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5087017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kierenwalkers/pseuds/chesire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At eighteen years, one hundred ninety-seven days, twelve hours, fifty-seven minutes, and forty-nine seconds Kenma likes to think that he’s done a pretty good job following his general rule of thumb: no touching.</p>
            </blockquote>





	anyone from a pretty how town

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pancakewars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pancakewars/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY REI!!!!!!!!! this is me finally owing up to a bday fic for you after so many years u___u i hope your birthday has been a wonderful day so far (id insert the less than three here but ao3 coding is weird). also, i apologize ahead of time for the mess this fic is.

Kozume Kenma is eleven years, one hundred three days, fifty-one minutes, and thirty-six seconds years old when he brings Yaku back to life.

He's sitting on the bottom step of Kuroo Testurou's front porch, his Gameboy set besides him for once. Kuroo has gone inside of his house to grab a quick snack for them, most likely apple pie (his favorite food), and Kenma is waiting for him.

Yaku's tabby coat shimmers in the sunlight as he saunters towards Kenma, rolling the volleyball up to him. Normally, Kuroo would be the one to toss the ball with Kenma watching, but Kuroo is inside, and Yaku is licking his hand and nudging the ball. Kenma recalls Kuroo telling him, when he first got Yaku, how Abyssinian cats can sometimes become depressed without constant activity and attention.

Kenma picks up the ball, tossing it into the street. Yaku bounds after it immediately. Kenma has to admit he looks incredibly graceful doing so. He's so distracted by the way the orange hair in Yaku’s coat catches the sun that he doesn't notice the truck that turns onto their street.

Yaku is two years, two hundred ninety-four days, nineteen hours, four minutes, and thirty-seven seconds when the truck rushes past, and not a second older. The truck disappears before Kenma can finish blinking, and Yaku is left lying in the street. His front left paw is bent, his hind leg is stuck up unnaturally. Kenma moves towards the street. His hand hovers over Yaku's stomach, where his fur is a lighter cream color.

Eyes darting back to the house, Kenma watches Kuroo carefully cut out two pieces of pie. Kuroo’s eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, his hair sticking out all over the place, and a few locks fall in front of his eyes. There’s a large grin on his face, his mouth moves as he says something to his mouth and Kenma’s legs feel restless.

He wonders how Kuroo would react if he found out Yaku were dead. If he’d stare wide in horror at his pet cat on the middle of the road. He doesn't think he'd be mad, Kuroo is never mad at him, but Kenma doesn't think he'd be happy either.

Gingerly reaching forward, Kenma scoops up Yaku with his palm. He intends to bring him back into the house, to explain what just happened and how Yaku died. Half of the explanation and apology are already formed in Kenma’s mind, and years later he still recalls the exact words.

Only instead, Yaku is very much alive. His body twists, and he darts out of Kenma's hand and onto the street. Yaku swats the volleyball with his hand, gently nudging it back towards the front porch.

"Why are you out on the street?" Kuroo asks and Kenma looks up to see him balancing two plates of apple pie and a glass of milk.

"The ball rolled onto the street," he responds, accepting a plate from Kuroo once he reaches the porch. It's the first time he's lied to Kuroo.

Kuroo says nothing, instead breaking off a piece of his pie and offering it to Kenma. Kenma accepts it, chewing as he pretends not to notice how the bluebird that frequents his house drops from the tree a minute later.

 

 

The second time Kenma brings someone back to life, it's because his mother collapses in the middle of cooking dinner.

Kenma puts his Gameboy to the side, padding over silently as he bends down to observe her. Her body is unnaturally cold and stiff, and without a second thought or a moment of hesitation Kenma reaches out with his finger to touch her.

"Oh, did I fall?" she asks, cradling his head. The color has returned to her face, her cheeks are no longer pale and blue. Kenma nods, and she pushes herself up from the kitchen floor, making way to the stove.

Exactly sixty seconds later, Kuroo's mother collapses on the front lawn. The bowl of rice his mother is carrying drops in response, and Kenma feels something in his stomach plummet as the porcelain shatters.

Kenma peeks outside his window as he watches some people shuffle away Kuroo's mother. He can tell that Kuroo is doing the exact same thing, because the light in his room is on as well. As soon the van is out of site, Kenma pulls the blinders shut.

"It'll be okay," his mother tells him with a soft smile, patting his lap for reassurance.

Kenma says nothing, only drawing up the covers to his chin. He isn't sure how to feel about everything that's happened today, the fact that he's exchanged his mother's life for Kuroo's mother's. His heart is beating erratically in his chest, and Kenma decides at that very moment that he needs to tell Kuroo what actually happened.

His mother bends down to brush aside his hair and kiss him on the forehead. Only, when her lips touch Kenma's forehead she collapses to the floor once more.

He leaps out of his bed, pulling back his covers. Kenma makes his way to her, trying to ignore the blood rushing in his ears and how he's grown slightly short of breath. He bends down next to her, reaching out with his finger to touch her cheek.

When Kenma presses his index finger to his mother's cheek, everything is wrong. She's still immobile and cold, reminiscent of how she was in the afternoon when she first dropped dead. Kenma squeezes his eyes shut, wrapping his arms around himself as he tries to take deep breaths the way Kuroo always tells him to whenever he's panicking.

It's that night that Kenma finds out the only two limitations to his power.

One: Kenma can bring things back to life for a exactly sixty seconds. Any longer and something else's life has to be exchanged for the one he's brought back.

Two: First touch is life. Second touch is death, again. Only this time, it’s permanent. 

 

At eighteen years, one hundred ninety-seven days, twelve hours, fifty-seven minutes, and forty-nine seconds Kenma likes to think that he’s done a pretty good job following his general rule of thumb: no touching.

It’s not because he doesn’t like to be touched (in fact, he kind of misses cuddling with Kuroo when they were younger. He misses Kuroo’s hugs that always enveloped him in warmth, the way a simple touch made him feel more at ease than anything else possibly could), it’s just that he has a rather unpleasant experience with touch.

The only exception to this rule are the fruits he touches in order to bake pie. The one perk of being able to touch things and bring them back to life, is that the same rule applies to fruit. The instant Kenma touches a rotten fruit, the white mold vanishes and it's ripe again. 

In exchange, the flowers that Akaashi put in a vase somewhere in _Nekoma_ , Kenma's part video game part pie store, wilt. Or if Kenma’s lucky, the weeds outside die instead.

(Though the second time he touches the fruit, it rots instantaneously. Kenma's accidentally eaten a slice of pie with fruit he's already touched before, only to have to spit out the mouthful and use copious amounts of mouthwash).

Unfortunately, the meticulously careful measures Kenma makes sure not to touch anything dead in anyone else's vicinity except his own is completely ruined on the day he meets Haiba Lev.

 

 

Kozume Kenma is eighteen years, one hundred ninety-seven days, twelve hours, fifty-four minutes, and thirty-one seconds while he and Akaashi Keiji (who is eighteen years, one hundred forty-seven days, seventeen hours, nineteen minutes, and four seconds) are taking out the trash.

He's busy dragging the large black bag to the dumpster, because Kenma has zero muscle whatsoever (and someone the garbage is ridiculously heavy at his shop, even though he only sells video games and fruit pies), while Akaashi is hauling his over his shoulder. They walk to the dumpster without a word, and Kenma pants as Akaashi thankfully goes forward to lift up the lid.

Dropping his bag, Kenma takes the other end of Akaashi's garbage bag and makes a face as he picks it up.

"Okay," he mutters quietly and Akaashi dips his head in acknowledgement.

"Ready?" his assistant asks, brown eyes blinking at him owlishly.

Kenma nods, and they slowly begin to swing the bag back and forth. On the third swing, they release their hands and the garbage swings into the dumpster.

Except it doesn't. Instead, it hits a person falling out of the sky, and Kenma hears the loud crack of their skull against the edge of the bin. Flinching at the gruesome sound, Kenma's hand grazes over the person's flailing arm.

He can feel something drop into the pit of his stomach when the person jumps up, eyes darting around to take in their surroundings. Kenma watches them leap out of the dumpster agility that could rival an Olympic gymnast, and continues to watch in ever growing horror as they make their way towards the main street.

"Get him!" He exclaims, swallowing his panic as he follow them. 

Akaashi is quick to react, darting forth to the exit of the alleyway and barring the person from sprinting past him. He catches them in his arms, gritting his teeth as he's assailed by thrashing limbs.

Kenma makes it with exactly three seconds to spare. He pants as he makes his way to Akaashi, reaching out with a finger to touch one of the person's hands. The effect is instantaneous, they go limp in Akaashi's arms and the color fades out immediately.

Bending over, Kenma attempts to regain his breath and swallow the lump in his throat. His chest is growing tighter by the second, and when he looks back up the person is no longer in Akaashi's arms. Akaashi is peering at him with an unreadable expression, and Kenma's entire body feels as though it's on fire.

He starts taking deep breaths, the same one Kuroo taught to him back when he was six years, two hundred twenty-two days, fourteen hours, fifty minutes, and thirteen seconds old. At the corners of Kenma's eyes his vision begins to blur, and he can feel the hot tears threatening to spill at any moment.

"I," he says, looking back up at Akaashi. The lump in his throat has only grown even bigger, and Kenma's entire body shakes as his mind struggles to find the correct words. His hands begin to curl into fists, and Kenma digs his fingernails into his palm until his knuckles are white.

"Did you just bring back someone from the dead?" A booming voice calls out behind him, followed by a thud dampened by the garbage bag. Kenma whips his head around, hair flying into face.

Running towards him is a tall teenager, towering over Kenma and Akaashi both. He's wearing a small black hat on top of his gray hair, and the largest smile Kenma has ever seen is plastered onto his face.

He skids to a stop in front of Kenma, waving his arms around wildly as he digs his heels into the pavement. The butterflies have completely invaded Kenma's stomach, and his heart is pounding against his chest so hard that Kenma thinks his ribcage could break at any moment from the intensity.

_When in doubt, deny, deny, deny. ___

__"Yes," pops out of his mouth instead and Kenma is going to burst into flames at any moment._ _

__"I was chasing that guy for my private investigation," the teenager in front of him explains far too loudly for Kenma's liking. He finds himself slowly stepping backwards until he bumps into Akaashi. Kenma jumps forward immediately, even the brief touch is searing._ _

__"Do you think you could do it again? Raise someone from the dead? It would be really helpful if I could ask the dead questions, it'd make solving murder cases much easier." he asks, this time waving his arms around._ _

__"No," Kenma replies flatly. “Absolutely not.”_ _

__His entire body is screaming at him to run. Only, the intimidating teen is in front of him, and Akaashi is right behind him._ _

__"It was so cool! The way you touched him and then he just sort of crumpled in the other guy's arms." He continues to babble as his arms flail by his side. Kenma is astounded at how he doesn't even have to draw a breath in between words._ _

__"How does it work? Can you bring anything back to life then? My sister used to have a pet snake, do you think you could bring him back to life? She really misses him and we have him buried inside our flowerpot, I could dig out the bones for you. Or maybe it only works on humans. Hey, what's your name? I'm Haiba Lev, Private Investigator."_ _

__

__

__At nineteen years, two hundred fifty-one days, twenty-three hours, thirty-four minutes, and six seconds Kozume Kenma is sitting behind the front counter of _Nekoma_ , playing Super Dangan Ronpa 2 for the third time on his PSP when Haiba Lev comes marching in._ _

__"Kenma!" Lev announces as he comes in. The doors open with a loud slam, and Kenma winces at the noise and the new indents that are going to be on his door. And to think he and Akaashi just repainted the doors last week as well._ _

__"No," he says, eyes still glued to his PSP. Akaashi glances up from where he was sweeping the floor and gives Kenma a wry smile._ _

__"I–," the private detector begins as he makes his way to the front counter._ _

__"No," Kenma cuts him off, punctuating the word by pressing the button of his PSP with more force than necessary. At least there's only one or two customers right now, so Kenma doesn't have to be too worried about someone coming up to the front counter to bother him (or even worse, hear part of their conversations)._ _

__"But Kenma," Lev pouts and Kenma resists the urge to look over at the large stack of papers that the younger boy just laid onto the counter. "I didn't even tell you what I was going to say," he objects._ _

__"I don't need to hear it," Kenma responds monotonously as he directs Hinata Hajime to Komaeda Nagito for the Free-time event. "I already know what you're going to say."_ _

__"There's been a murder," Lev tells him as if he hasn't just heard what Kenma had just said. "And I need you to come with me so you can," at this point Lev leans over the counter and his voice drops to a whisper that's not quiet at all, " _do the thing_."_ _

__Kenma lets out a small sigh, running a hand through his hair as he goes back to his game. "No Lev, I can't." he repeats._ _

__"But Kenma," the teenager whines and sometimes Kenma thinks Lev is nothing more than a over-sized seven year old. "I need you to help me. How else am I supposed to solve murder cases without you?" He exclaims, throwing his hands up into the air._ _

__"I don't know," he says dryly, "Maybe you should actually investigate and use deduction skills for once."_ _

__"Please Kenma, come to the funeral home with me," Lev pleads once more, and Kenma already knows from experience that his lower lip will be sticking out, and his green eyes will take on the same pitiful look that puppies sometimes give him._ _

__"Fine," Kenma sighs exasperatedly as he sets down his PSP besides the register. "We'll go with you _after_ we close up the store though." _ _

__It's the way things always end up, with Lev begging Kenma to come to the morgue with him. Kenma always refuses at first (he turned down every single one of Lev's pleas for the first month after the incident. The boy is nothing but persistent), but somehow, he always manages to be coerced into it in the end._ _

__"Thank you," Lev exclaims as he throws his arms around Kenma, pulling him into his chest. Kenma lets out a small grunt as the oxygen inside him is squeezed out._ _

__Twisting around as Lev continues to smother him in a hug, Kenma looks at the papers on the counter. As he quickly scans over Lev’s scratchy handwriting, he can feel his breath lodge in his throat and every word washes over him except for two._ _

___Kuroo Tetsurou._ _ _

__

__

__Before Lev can knock on the door,faded green with scratches all over it, to the funeral home, Kenma stuffs his hands in his pockets, trying to will his heart to calm down. Kenma takes a deep breath, and Akaashi sends him a concerned look._ _

__"You don't have to go through with it, you know," he tells him underneath his breath._ _

__Kenma shakes his head, slouching, as though becoming shorter will make him less noticeable and allow him to run away from the current situation. The words from Lev's report are still imprinted in his mind._ _

___Kuroo Testurou (at twenty years, two hundred forty-nine days, nineteen hours, twenty-one minutes, and fifty seconds) was allegedly killed on a cruise ship from Tokyo, Japan to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. His body was recovered the following morning when one of the passengers discovered it floating alongside the boat. According to the captain, the incident is nothing more than an accident that most likely occurred when the victim went outside of his cabin at night. Nothing much is known about the victim, except his name and age and he was the captain of his college volleyball team, majored in engineering and business, and was supposedly being considered for Japan's National Volleyball Team. A reward is currently being offered for anyone who can give information or locate the killer._ _ _

__"Hello?" Lev asks, knuckles banging on the door with a force that makes Kenma flinch. "Is anyone there?" He shouts a few minutes later, when no one has answered._ _

__The door swings open to reveal a tall man hunches over. His eyes are sunken into deep into his face, making the purple circles underneath his eyes seem even darker. The funeral director's face draws into a scowl when he sees Lev, wrinkles on his forehead creasing even further._ _

__"Haiba Lev," Lev announces far too chirpily, "Pri–"_ _

__Kenma kicks Lev's shin and Akaashi coughs, clearing his throat. "We're Kuroo Testurou's classmates from university. His body is being held here until the funeral service, am I correct?"_ _

__The director narrows his eyes and Kenma shrinks behind Lev, slouching even further. His gaze pierces through Kenma and Kenma's heart beat quickens. Why couldn't Kuroo's body have been in the morgue? Kunimi never cares enough to actually pay attention to them._ _

__"Washijou Tanji," the man grunts as he opens the door to the funeral home. "I'm the funeral director here. You guys are the dead kid's friends?" He asks, eyes shifting and Kenma takes care to make sure his face remains neutral (not as though it isn't normally like that already). His fingers glint, and Kenma looks down at his hands to see several extravagant gold rings._ _

__Akaashi presses a wad of bills into his hand as he walks past, and Washijou grunts in response. Lev quickly follows behind, and Kenma follows last. He looks at the simple decor inside of the house, then back at the gaudy rings on Washijou's fingers._ _

__The atmosphere is cloying, heavier than any instance Kenma has been at the morgue. It's not that he's squeamish about touching dead things (he's long gotten past the fact), it's just that this is _Kuroo_ of all people._ _

__Washijou leads them to a plain looking door, grunting as he gestures to the mahogany wood._ _

__"Thanks," Lev smiles and Washijou grunts in response, shuffling off to some other place inside of the funeral home._ _

__The three of them are left standing in front of the door, and Kenma's breath has become ragged at this point. He's panting, and Akaashi sends him a concerned look as his hand hovers over his back._ _

__Kenma's entire body feels sweaty. His clothes are sticking to him and when he raises his hand to touch his hair, it's damp. "Can I go in alone?" He hears himself requesting._ _

__"Are you sure?" Akaashi asks him, pulling his hand back to his side._ _

__"Why do you need to go in alone, Kenma?" Lev inquires as he tilts his head to the side. "I thought this was something we all did together."_ _

__"It's personal," Kenma mutters and opens the door, not waiting for an answer. He can hear Lev protesting loudly at first, before they finally quiet down._ _

__The room is just as plain and simple as the rest of the funeral home is. The only exception is the dark coffin in the center of the room, a deep black. As Kenma approaches Kuroo's coffin, (the thought is still foreign, that Kuroo Testurou, his neighbor across the street and childhood best friend, is dead) he can see his own distorted reflection._ _

__Lifting the lid, Kenma opens it to peer upon Kuroo for the first time in eight years, three hundred two days, twenty-one hours, thirty-three minutes, and fifty-six seconds._ _

__Getting the obvious aside, Kuroo is much taller. His shoulders are much broader than before, and Kenma can see the hints of muscle in the sleeves of his tuxedo. Kuroo's lips aren't tilted up in the smile Kenma remembers from his childhood, but neither are they in an aghast expression like the people he's seen at the morgue._ _

__His hair is still a complete mess, half of it is sticking up while the other half is stiff and harden from copious amounts of hair gel. Kenma's lips twitch upwards, he remembers how often Kuroo would lament about his incurable bedhead (and the unusual way he would sleep to cause that bedhead). It looks as even worse than he remembers, like someone had given up halfway through trying to tame it._ _

__Kuroo Testurou is twenty years, two hundred forty-nine days, nineteen hours, twenty-one minutes, and fifty seconds old, and he'll never be a second older._ _

__Kenma holds his breath as he reaches outwards, fingers hovering above Kuroo's cheek. His entire hand is shaking, and he regrets not taking any medication before they came here. Kenma gulps, the air in the room is warm and heavy, before shutting his eyes and touching Kuroo's cheek._ _

__"Ow!" He cries out as he’s yanked forward, head cracking against the lid of the coffin._ _

__He staggers backwards, holding his forehead as he huffs. Kenma can hear Lev shout something from outside the door, but his words wash over him as Kuroo darts out of his coffin, looking at him with wide eyes._ _

__"Kenma?" Kuroo asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The pot that was previously on the windowsill is in his hands, and his arms halfway behind his head. "Is that really you?"_ _

__"Yeah, it's me," Kenma huffs as he rubs his forehead. His head is throbbing, and his heart is racing. Frankly, it's not a good mix._ _

__"Sorry," Kuroo apologizes with a sheepish shrug, placing the pot back onto the ground. He offers Kenma a small smile, one that takes a while for his mouth to fully turn upwards and Kenma feels his heart jump up into his throat._ _

__Kuroo steps towards him, hand raised and instinctively Kenma takes a step backwards. He ends up backing up into the door with a dull thud. Kuroo walks towards him, a confused expression flashing across his face before he places a hand on Kenma's shoulder._ _

__"Your hair," Kuroo grins at him and Kenma's shoulder is burning. "It's nice, I like it."_ _

__Kenma almost wilts against the door right then and there._ _

__"Kuro," he whispers, ducking as Kuroo reaches with his other hand for Kenma's forehead. He darts underneath Kuroo's arm, crossing his fingers and thanking the fact that most of his skin is covered by his suit._ _

__When he's outside of Kuroo's arms, Kuroo turns back towards him and hurt is written all over his face. Kenma's heart skips a beat. He swallows the lump in his throat, his mouth is completely parched when he opens it to speak._ _

__"You can't touch me," he falters and Kuroo looks as though he’s just been slapped. Kenma’s heart twists and he finds himself short of breath._ _

__“No one’s called me that,” Kuroo says as he runs a hand through his hair, the gelled portions parting to the side and framing his head in an odd manner. “Not since…well you know.”_ _

__Kenma swallows the lump in his throat. There's a million words on the tip of his tongue, but the ones that come out instead are, "You have about thirty-two seconds left."_ _

__"What?" Kuroo says, blinking at him._ _

__"You kind of died?" He offers and Kuroo continues to stand there, staring at him with a gaping mouth. Kenma thinks he hears a small clamor coming from outside in the hallway, and he wills his heartbeat to slow down. "And I may have brought you back to life, but it only works for a minute until someone else dies. Unless I touch you again."_ _

__"Is that what you do these days?" His childhood friend teases with a small grin on his face. "Touch dead people and bring them back to life, then touch them again? I never thought you'd have this exciting of a career."_ _

__"It's more of a side job," Kenma murmurs as he feels his cheeks heat up. (He's ever thankful that almost never blushes). "I didn't ask to be involved... it was an accident."_ _

__Kuroo has a full grin on his face when Kenma looks back up at him. "So how does it normally go? You touch people, ask them who murdered them, and then touch them again?"_ _

__"Something like that," he mumbles, shifting away from Kuroo's gaze. His heart won't stop hammering and Kenma hasn't had this issue since Lev and Akaashi first discovered his secret._ _

__"And if I don't know who murdered me?" Kuroo inquires, taking a step towards Kenma, just short of an arm's reach._ _

__"You don't know who killed you?" he frowns, keeping his arms rigid by his side. He digs his fingernails into the soft flesh of his palm, wincing at the short, small sting of pain. Right now he's not so sure if it was a great idea to come. (Lev and Akaashi probably would have understood. Or maybe it's just that Kenma can't face letting down Lev, or maybe he just wants to set right what he did eight years, three hundred two days, twenty-one hours, thirty-four minutes, and thirty-one seconds ago)._ _

__"The last thing I remember was reaching into the icebox to look for my room key," Kuroo informs him with a small shrug._ _

__"You dropped your room key into an icebox?" he asks wryly, raising an eyebrow._ _

__"Yeah it was dumb," Kuroo coughs into his his elbow as he looks away, a light pink dusting his cheeks. "Next thing I know there's a plastic bag over my face and I'm being strangled to death and tossed over the side of the cruise ship." He explains it so casually, it's almost like the way he'd explain the volleyball game he saw last night back when Kenma was eleven and he was twelve._ _

__Kenma pulls back his sleeve to look at his watch. "Five seconds," he whispers. And Kuroo's eyes are no longer dancing with mirth. He doesn't want these five seconds to end, now that Kuroo is alive again he no longer wants him gone._ _

__"I guess this is goodbye again," Kuroo's voice cracks when he speaks and Kenma nods slowly, not trusting himself to open his mouth._ _

__He surveys the room around him, from the pot now resting on the ground to the sleek, black coffin in the middle of the room. There's only one door, the one that's behind Kuroo, and the plain red curtains covering the only window. Kenma makes his decision when there’s only three seconds left._ _

__"Get into the coffin," he says, voice coming out much stronger than he thought it would. His blood is roaring in his ears as he does another sweep of the room. His heart rate is still continuing to skyrocket, just like it has ever since he walked into the room (and since he realized Kuroo was the victim of the murder)._ _

__Kuroo doesn't say a word, instead he only picks up the plant and places it back next to the curtains and climbs into the coffin. Inside the coffin, Kuroo looks much paler and lifeless than he did standing outside of it. Kenma swallows the small lump in his throat, wondering what would have happened if he decided not to come and Kuroo continued to lay lifeless inside of his coffin._ _

__"So I'll just stay in here and wait for you to rescue me right?" Kuroo grins at him, shifting against the cushioned satin walls of his coffin. He looks far too comfortable for someone who's about to have a coffin lid closed on them._ _

__"Yeah," Kenma responds as his eyes dart back towards the door. He thinks he can hear Washijou's footsteps approaching the room. He looks back down at Kuroo and his heart skips a beat. "I'll try to be back before they bury you."_ _

__"I'll be waiting for you then," Kuroo smirks as the lid is halfway closed. “I never thought I’d have my very own Prince Charming."_ _

__"Shut up," Kenma murmurs hotly as he snaps the lid shut. It closes with a loud thud, causing him to jump up, and he can still hear Kuroo's muffled laughter as he makes his way out into the hallway._ _

__

__

__“So, who killed him?” Lev bounds up to Kenma in a step with his unnaturally long legs. His fingers are tapping incessantly on his thigh, and Kenma has to duck his head because of the intense focus of his bright green eyes._ _

__“He didn’t see,” Kenma mumbles as he ducks underneath Lev’s arms, towards Akaashi. Lev frowns when his arms grasp at empty air._ _

__Akaashi is peering at Kenma with his knowing look, and Kenma feels incredibly unsettled. His legs are jittery, and he's not sure if it's because he just left Kuroo in his coffin or because Akaashi probably knows what he just did._ _

__"I guess that means we'll have to go back to the old-fashioned method of investigating," Akaashi says as he walks towards the front entrance of the funeral home._ _

__Lev sighs as he follows Akaashi, back slumped and face downcast. "But that's so much harder," he whines, pouting as he looks at the two of them hopefully. Kenma wonders how he ever did solve a case without him bringing back the dead._ _

__"I think I'm going to stay for his funeral," he tells his two partners when they reach the front door. He hasn't seen Washijou since he showed them to Kuroo's coffin, and it's only making him more anxious. (He hasn't heard a single sound other than the three of them, and Kenma's heart is racing because of what he's just done.)_ _

__Lev turns back around, tilting his head to the side. “You aren’t going to come with us?” he asks, sounding disappointed._ _

__“No,” Kenma swallows the lump in his throat, wiping his palms on his pants. They’re sweaty and gross, the same way they always get whenever a large group of people come into his store or he has to go talk to someone new on an investigation. “He was a childhood friend,” he explains as he looks down at shoes._ _

__“That’s his coffin, right?” It’s more of a statement than a question. Akaashi is squinting at the car driving by the funeral home and Kenma feels his heart drop down into his stomach._ _

__“Yes,” Kenma replies as he watches the van make its way down the road. He now has absolutely no idea how he’s going to get Kuroo out of his coffin. There isn’t any way he can possibly catch up now._ _

__Beside him, Akaashi’s face is a perfect mask of neutrality. By know Kenma knows that Akaashi knows that he may have kept Kuroo alive for more than a minute. (Three minutes and twelve seconds to be exact). Lev has jumped off the front porch and he’s currently racing after the car. His arms are waving wildly, and even with Lev’s overwhelming abundance of energy and long legs he’s still lagging behind._ _

__Kenma eyes the car parked in front of the funeral home. “Lev,” he says and Lev’s head swivels around despite the distance, green eyes lighting up. “You’re driving,” he gestures to the car and this time Lev’s face breaks out into a full smile._ _

__“Really Kenma?” He shouts as he bounds towards the car. “I can drive again?” He doesn’t wait for an answer before he’s already inside the vehicle._ _

__“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Akaashi whispers next to him as they walk towards the car. His lips are pursued and he looks extremely pained, Kenma’s stomach does somersaults as well. “There’s a reason why we have that ban.”_ _

__“Yeah, I know,” Kenma replies evenly as he opens the door and slides into the seat. Lev is already buckled, a large grin on his face as his knee continues to bounce up and down. Kenma swallows the trepidation in his throat before he buckles up, shutting his eyes as Lev turns the keys._ _

__

__

__When they get out of the car, it’s Akaashi who rushes out the door with his hand over his mouth and keels over. Kenma has lost all feelings in his legs as he steps outside, and he spends an entire minute watching the world around him spin._ _

__“We’re putting the driving ban again after this,” Akaashi hisses as he pushes himself off the ground. His face is even paler than usual and there’s a slight greenish tint as well._ _

__“Aw,” Lev pouts as he glances at Akaashi, who still looks like he's going to vomit any moment. "Do we really have to? It isn’t as fun when you guys drive; it’s so slow,” he whines, drawing out the word._ _

__“That’s the point,” Kenma deadpans as he watches the dirt steadily pile up. He can see Kuroo’s coffin next to the pile of dirt, black, sleek, and shiny. “We need a distraction to get them away," he tells them once he's pulled Lev behind their care._ _

__"I can take care of that," The private investigator grins. He darts off before Kenma ask him what his plan even is. Besides him Akaashi lets out an exasperated sigh and Kenma exhales with resignation as well._ _

__Two minutes and ten seconds later, just as Kuroo's coffin is about to be lowered into the ground, the black van erupts into flames. The grave buriers drop Kuroo's coffin onto the ground and Kenma winces at the sound it makes. Hopefully Kuroo doesn't mind being man-handled too much._ _

__"There you go," Lev pants and Kenma whips his head to see Lev crouching next to him. "I took care of it, didn't I Kenma?" He asks with the familiar hopeful lift in his voice._ _

__"Where'd you even get the supplies to light up a van?" he asks, shaking his head. Before Lev can reply, Kenma is already running towards Kuroo's would-have-been-grave._ _

__His heart is no longer hammering just because of the physical exertion. Kenma can feeling his palms getting sweaty again and the blood in his ears roar as he skids to a stop in front of Kuroo's coffin. He ends up fumbling as he opens the lid of the coffin, and there's no point in attempting to keep this a secret anymore._ _

__"Hey," Kuroo breathes as the lid swings open. "Looks like you came just in time," he laughs, mouth spreading into an easy grin. His arms are crossed over his chest, locks of hair sticking up all over the place and Kenma's breath lodges in his throat._ _

__"Hey," he whispers back, voice shaky._ _

__

__

__"So," Kuroo says as he fumbles with Kenma's key to his door. "Am I the exception or is this a thing you do everyday, bring people back from the dead?"_ _

__"You're the exception," Kenma replies and the key clatters to the floor with a loud clang. There's red dusting Kuroo's cheeks and Kenma can feel his chest stir with warmth in return. His lips twitch upwards of their own accord._ _

__Kuroo mumbles something underneath his breath. "It's just you here? All alone?" he asks, gesturing to Kenma's apartment._ _

__"Yeah," he replies and he's aware of how painfully lonely it sounds. With a power like his, the fewer people that know, the better. (The less people he interacts with, the lower the chance of being discovered.). "Lev lives on the floor below us though, and sometimes Shouyou comes by."_ _

__"Shouyou?" Kuroo asks as he wanders towards Kenma's refrigerator. He opens the door, looking at its contents with intense concentration._ _

__"And Yaku, too," Kenma tells him, and Kuroo almost drops yesterday's leftover rice in surprise._ _

__Yaku decides at that moment to come out of Kenma's room. Kuroo beams as soon as he sees his old cat, rushing forth to scoop up Yaku into his arms. He croons softly, stroking his tabby fur, and the warmth in Kenma's chest blooms._ _

__"I can't believe you kept him after I left." Kuroo turns around as he nuzzles Yaku. Kenma's fingers twitch by his side, and if he tries hard enough, he can recall the soft texture of Yaku's fur. (If he tries hard enough, he can imagine Kuroo's hand on his wrist, his arms around his body just like when they were children)._ _

__"I didn't want to leave him alone," Kenma mutters. Kuroo walks towards him, throwing his free arm out before he hastily brings it to his side._ _

__"How is he still alive?" Kuroo asks in amazement, bringing Yaku closer to his chest. "He doesn't look any older either."_ _

__Kenma looks at Kuroo, shutting the refrigerator door as he stands next to him. Yaku meows as he approaches, and Kenma smiles._ _

__"Oh," the older boy grins before bending down to set Yaku down onto the ground. "Do you have a blanket by any chance?" He asks, scratching his head as he continues to stroke Yaku's fur. Yaku rolls onto his stomach, paws clawing at Kuroo's hand as his mouth stretches wide open._ _

__"They're in the bedroom," Kenma replies as he gestures in the direction._ _

__Kuroo darts towards his bedroom, and Kenma plops down onto the floor next to Yaku. He makes sure to keep enough distance between them so that they don't touch; though by now, Yaku already knows that they can't._ _

__Kuroo comes back exactly thirty-two seconds later with Kenma's blanket in his hands. Kenma blinks at him in confusion, and Kuroo smiles at him as he bends down. He wraps the blanket around Kenma, circling his entire body so his arms are trapped inside. It's warm, and Kenma leans back instinctively into Kuroo’s arms._ _

__“I missed you,” Kuroo whispers, almost too quiet for Kenma to catch. Kenma’s chest tightens, and he shuts his eyes as he continues to allow Kuroo’s arms to encompass him._ _

__Now that Kuroo is alive again, he’s even more aware of just how much he missed the older boy. It’s as though an empty hole that Kenma wasn’t aware of before (rather, he carefully put everything that had to do with that particular train of thought into a box to only view occasionally) is now filled. Kenma breathes in Kuroo’s scent; he hasn’t felt this warm in ages._ _

__“You’re being a sap,” he scoffs softly._ _

__Kuroo grins as he tightens his grip, burying his face into the folds of the blanket. Kenma's heart stutters in response, and even though it's not quite a hug, it's incredibly close to one._ _

__

__

__Kuroo saunters into the shop the next morning with a lazy grin on his face, hair tucked underneath a worn-out baseball cap, hood pulled over his head. It only makes him look simultaneously ridiculous and intimidating, the spikes flattening in all sorts of strange places._ _

__"Hello," Kuroo greets as he hops up to the front counter. Kenma doesn't look up from his notebook as he takes inventory, and Kuroo pouts in front of him. "Is this all you're going to being doing today?" He asks as he lies on top of the counter, peering up at Kenma through his eyelashes._ _

__"I have class later today," Kenma replies as he makes a check mark next to the latest shipment of games to the shop. He sets the clipboard down to look back at Kuroo, who's still staring at him._ _

__"I guess I can't go to university anymore, can I?" Kuroo remarks a tad somber, and Kenma bites down on his lip. Kuroo may be alive again, but there isn't much he can actually do when the whole world thinks he's dead._ _

__The bell rings and Kenma's head snaps up to see Akaashi walking through. The curly-haired boy doesn't bat an eyelid at the sight of Kuroo sprawled all over the front counter, walking past him without so much of a glance._ _

__"How come you don't have apple pie on the menu?" the older boy inquires as he shifts his gaze to the small menu propped up by the stand. "You have peach, cherry, banana meringue, pecan, pumpkin, chocolate peanut butter." Kuroo continues to rattle off the names of different pies._ _

__Kenma turns around to the crate of rotten fruit on the table behind him. "I guess I just never thought about it," he says, and he can feel Kuroo's eyes burning on the back of his head. Kenma can feel the heat rising in his chest, and he quickly moves to touching the rotten fruit instead._ _

__(It's because it reminds him too much of Kuroo that he feels homesick whenever he smells it. He's filled with a longing for their childhood days, when the biggest worry on his mind was whether or not Kuroo would insist on playing volleyball when they next met)._ _

__"Wow," Kuroo breathes as the flowers in the vase next to him wilt sixty seconds later. "That's incredible. There aren't really any exceptions to this sixty second rule, are there?"_ _

__"No," Kenma mutters as he pushes the crate of fruit to Akaashi. Akaashi ties the apron on his waist, bringing the fruit to the sink in the back._ _

__Kuroo says nothing, instead humming to himself, and Kenma picks up his 3DS on the counter. He sits down on the stool, turning on the power as he spins around in his seat. It's the Animal Crossing, and Kenma sets about pulling the weeds from his town that grew overnight._ _

__There's only a small trickle of customers that flow in. Whenever one comes to the front counter, it's Kuroo who ends up manning the register. He grins at Kenma once the customer leaves, bringing his hand up to ruffle Kenma's hair only to snap it back down to his side at the very last second._ _

__It's not until a little bit before noon that Lev, eighteen years, two hundred fifty-nine days, twenty-one hours, two minutes, and thirty second, flings the door open. Kenma winces at the loud crack the door makes, and Kuroo's head whips around simultaneously. Kenma wonders when he'll need to buy a new glass door._ _

__"Hey," Lev exclaims as he's walking up to the front counter, after his usual customary greeting. "Are you the d–" He cuts off abruptly and Kenma can feel the small waves of annoyance radiating from Kuroo._ _

__He looks up to see Kuroo's hand clamped over Lev's mouth. Lev is still squirming in Kuroo's grasp, and Kenma can make out the words _cruise _, _dead _, and _Kenma's friend_ more than once._____ _

______Akaashi sighs in exasperation as he looks at Lev, broom in his hand as he fixes the oversized giant with the most unimpressive look as he leans against the broom in his hand._ _ _ _ _ _

______Kenma does a careful sweep of _Nekoma _and he doesn't see any customers around. The tension in him dissipates and he exhales in relief. "You already know that he's the student who died on a cruise," Kenma states as he turns back to his 3DS. "He was in the car with us yesterday after we went to the funeral home."___ _ _ _ _ _

________"Sorry Kenma," Lev apologizes as he scratches the back of his head. He lays down an article in front of Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Just don't mention the d word in public again," Kuroo smiles at Lev as he moves to stand next to Kenma. With Kuroo hovering next to him, Kenma returns to slouching over the counter with his game console in his hands._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He can feel Kuroo's hand hovering near the small of his back, and Kenma has missed the reassuring comfort Kuroo always provided him. (He longs for the soft touches to his back, his wrist, his arm just as much)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Funeral Director Washijou Tanji collapsed in the bathroom of Washijou Funeral Home this Wednesday due to an alleged heart attack," Kuroo reads aloud and Kenma's eyes snap up towards him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma's breathing hitches and Kuroo moves to put on a plastic glove before placing his hand on Kenma's shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It goes on to say how he actually stole jewelry from dead people's bodies," Kuroo's eyebrows furrow as he continues to read the newspaper. "They're currently trying to return all the stolen jewelry."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So it's not a bad thing that you accidentally ended up killing him!" Lev proclaims as he snatches back the newspaper._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Shutting close his 3DS, Kenma's heart hammers against his chest. Kuroo glances down at him with a concerned look, and Kenma takes in a shaky breath. It could have been either Lev or Akaashi who collapsed in Washijou's place. Kenma can only control who he brings back to life, not who dies in their place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Lev, be quiet," Akaashi reprimands firmly as he goes to put away the broom. Kuroo squeezes his shoulder, and Kenma inhales sharply. He gives him a look, and Kenma knows they're probably going to talk about this later tonight, when no one else is around._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Just breathe," Kuroo mumbles underneath his breath as he moves to flip the sign of the door. "Hey, can I get a bigger share of this reward then? Since I did die for it after all?" He asks a tad too loudly as they pile into Akaashi's car._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"This is the place?" Akaashi deadpans as they pull up besides a small shop with the words _Boutique Japan Japan Boutique_ written on the window. The shop is a pale baby blue, with gray window trimmings and orange flowers painted on its walls. It's an absurd amount of pastel._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hey, I'm a broke college student just like the rest of you," Kuroo defends as Akaashi takes the keys out from the ignition. "The university decided to book the trip through this shop. Who am I to complain about an almost free trip?" he sighs dramatically._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma doesn't reply as he unbuckles his seat belt, sliding out of the car. Lev is quick to follow, bounding up to the shop and kicking open the front door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Should he really be doing that?" Kuroo asks, looking back at Kenma with an arched eyebrow. Kenma sighs in resignation as he follows, Akaashi with a similar look of exasperation on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Even when I tell him, he just forgets the next time," Kenma tells him as they walk through the door. Kuroo snorts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The inside of Boutique Japan Japan Boutique is the same pale blue as the outside. It's dim because all the blinds are closed. In the center of the room is a desk, papers strewn all over it the same way they're strewn around the room. Kenma makes sure to tread carefully around the stacks of paper. On the desk is a volleyball, worn and old from excessive use._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________None of these catch Kenma's eye. What's most startling about the room is the man sitting in the chair at the desk. He's slumped over, face covered with a red plastic bag with a red weasel on it tied tightly around his neck. The animal's eyes stare back eerily at Kenma, front paw raised in mid step._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So is now when you do the thing?" Kuroo asks once they've taken the plastic bag off the man. (Lev and Kuroo end up bickering on who should take the plastic bag off, until Akaashi steps in with a roll of his eyes and promptly unties and removes the bag). He's wearing a pale orange dress shirt, sleeves folded so his forearms are exposed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Stop it, Kuro," he mutters, and leans forward to touch the dead man's forearm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________At twenty-one years, forty-one days, eleven hours, fifty-six minutes, and twenty-eight seconds the man bolts upright, kicking at the desk. His arms flail backward as he opens his eyes. "Oh, hey," he greets Kenma. Now that he's alive, Kenma can see the small name tag reading _Sugawara Koushi_. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hi," Lev beams back at the man. Akaashi's eye twitches. Sugawara’s mouth opens into a gentle smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sugawara turns around to survey his surroundings, eyes stopping at Kuroo. "Did you enjoy your trip?" he chirps._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, I did actually," Kuroo replies as he taps at his chin thoughtfully. "Except for, you know, the part where I _died_. That wasn't as much fun."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I thought we weren't allowed to say the d word," Lev whispers conspiratorially to Kenma as he nudges him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Only you aren't allowed to," Kenma mutters back and Lev pouts at him, green eyes widening in a way similar to a kicked puppy's._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh, yeah. We heard about that on the news." Sugawara chuckles as he scratches the back of his neck. "Sorry?" he offers, pained smile spreading across his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Don't mention it," Kuroo sighs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hey, isn't that the friend you always talked about?" he gestures to Kenma. "He's cuter than the childhood photos you showed us." Kenma looks at Kuroo, eye twitching, and Kuroo shrugs back, smirking at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Forty-three seconds," Akaashi notes as glances on the timer of his phone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Usually our smuggling operations don't end up with someone dying," Sugawara explains. "It was just a regular operation too, but I guess someone decided to intercept the goods."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Smuggling?" Lev repeats in astonishment the same time Kuroo asks, "You used me for smuggling goods?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sugawara lets out an awkward laugh as he scratches the back of his neck. "Yeah, Daichi and I run a rare porcelain smuggling business. I outbid the highest bidder online, then smuggle it out to Daichi, who resells it to the highest bidder. This time they were some rich old couple in Dubai. Why else do you think you got your trip for almost nothing? It was supposed to be compensation for the illegality."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But it got intercepted this time," Kenma states, gesturing to the red plastic bag and string lying next to the volleyball on Sugawara's desk. "So they probably didn't get the porcelain from Kuroo, and came back for you."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, that's been happening recently," Sugawara rubs his chin as he frowns. "Sometimes the goods end up getting intercepted before I can get them to Daichi. We put out a reward for the killer because we were hoping that they'd have the goods. But I guess not."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Thanks," Kuroo deadpans as he picks up the volleyball on Sugawara's desk, tossing it back and forth between his hands. "Nice to know our friendship in university meant so much to you two, Suga."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Five seconds," Akaashi reminds them, nodding at Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It did," Sugawara defends as he throws his hands up. "But business is business. Wait, but if you're d–"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma reaches out, touching Sugawara's forearm. He collapses on his desk with a thud, the color draining from his face immediately. His entire body is slumped over the table once more, as if he had never been brought back to life in the first place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I guess they must have shipped your belongings back before the killer could get to them," Akaashi says as he puts the bag over Sugawara's head once more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo pauses in his steps, eyes widening in horror. "Well, shit," he says._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma looks up at him, and Kuroo has a strained smile on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I put my old address on the sheet, since he just sent me off to boarding school. It still technically is my home address, since I never knew where my dad went afterwards."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"They demolished all the houses on the streets," Kenma tells him and Kuroo's expression falters for a moment, before a carefully blank one is up once more. "They built new ones, and my cousin lives there with his boyfriend now."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, I guess I wouldn’t know that. Looks like I'll be meeting your cousin for the first time then." Kuroo laughs, but Kenma can still catch the self-deprecation. Inwardly, Kenma flinches at Kuroo’s words. If it weren't for him, Kuroo's mother would still be alive, and he never would have been sent away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________At nineteen years, two hundred fifty-five days, twenty-one hours, forty-five minutes, and thirty-two seconds, Kenma finds himself outside of his cousin's house that is a definitely not a Sunday afternoon for tea, or whatever his cousin likes to call it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You didn't tell me _he_ was your cousin," Kuroo continues to complain as Akaashi pulls up besides the curb. "All this time, and you two were _cousins_. I can't believe this betrayal."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I didn't know he was my cousin until I met him," he replies as the engine sputters. Akaashi gives his steering wheel an annoyed glance. "He's more of a second, cousin anyway."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Still," Kuroo whines as he draws out the word. He turns around to look back at Kenma, lips drawn into an over-exaggerated pout. "I still can't believe that you're cousins with him. Why didn't any of you guys tell me this; I thought we were friends."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Kuro," Kenma says as he unbuckles his seat belt. Kuroo flashes him an apologetic smile as Kenma opens the car door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As Kenma walks past Kuroo's window, he's halted by the small tug on his sleeve. He turns around to see a small smile dancing across Kuroo's lips. The look is feels far more intimate than what Kenma is used to. He pulls his arm away, heat flooding through his chest as he follows Akaashi and Lev._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Stay safe," Kuroo calls out out with a laugh as they walk up the front steps._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma ignores him, entire chest blossoming with warmth and for some reason he feels that every single layer of his is being peeled away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do you think your cousin will still have that special kind of bread?" Lev inquires as Kenma rings the doorbell. "Because I really liked it and I can't find it anywhere, even though we live in the city."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Don't know," Kenma replies. He looks at the door, wondering if he should risk ringing the doorbell again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We're here to make sure that no one gets murdered tonight, Lev," Akaashi explains patiently as he pats the phone in his pocket. "Not to have milk bread with Kenma's cousin."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Aw, but can't I have milk bread if I want to? It helps me think better on investigations. " Lev whines petulantly as he looks at the two of them hopefully. Not for the first time, Kenma wonders how Lev actually solved his investigations with his easily-distracted mind. (It's only on the surface though, if Lev puts his mind to anything he pursues it relentlessly. Just like when he found out Kenma could make people alive again.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Kenma," Oikawa trills with delight as the door swings open. His arms are spread wide open, and at twenty years, one hundred sixty-seven days, seventeen hours, forty minutes, and fifty-two seconds Oikawa Tooru reaches forward to draw Kenma into a hug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________His grasp is too tight, but Kenma still nuzzles his face into Oikawa's chest for a brief moment. It's warm, and he's never one to complain about that. Oikawa is one of the few people Kenma doesn't exactly mind touching him. He's never hugged Kenma if he can sense that Kenma doesn't want to be touched. As forceful as he seems to be at times, Oikawa is actually very perceptive and extremely considerate. (When it doesn't come to Iwaizumi. Most of the time, anyway)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hello," he replies as Oikawa finally lets go._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It's my favorite cousin," he exclaims as he steps back to survey the people on his front porch. "And his two best friends." Oikawa's hair is stuck up in all sorts of odd places, and Kenma can see the small sheen of sweat on his forehead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Thanks," Akaashi says as Oikawa beckons them inside. He wipes his feet on the doormat and picks up the slippers, nudging Lev to do the same._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Oikawa brings them to the living room, waltzing back into the room with bread and pie. Kenma takes a slice, poking at the desert food with his fork. He wonders if Kuroo is actually still in the car on lookout (he has a nagging feeling that he's doing something incredibly stupid right now)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So, is there any particular reason you guys are visiting me on a lovely Thursday night?" Oikawa inquires, resting his face between his palms. He tilts his head at them, blinking innocently. Akaashi promptly rips off the piece of bread with more force than necessary._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Have you guys gotten any weird packages?" Lev blurts out. Akaashi gives Lev A Look and Kenma wonders, yet again, how Lev was actually a private investigator on his own._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We got a bunch of things last week from that dead guy on the news. There was a weird metal suitcase there too." Iwaizumi responds as he pads into the living room. His forehead has a similar sheen of sweat, the lower back of his shirt is dark and wet. He flops onto the opposite couch next to Oikawa. "You're going to get fat if you eat this late at night," he remarks dryly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Are you calling me fat?" Oikawa miffs as he brings the plate closer to him. "Iwa-chan is so mean to me, calling me ugly."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's because you _are_ ," Iwaizumi retorts, rolling his eyes at Oikawa._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If I'm ugly, you must be absolutely hideous," Oikawa shoots back, and Iwaizumi smacks him on the back of his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Shut up, Shittykawa. We're supposed to be conditioning this week," he reprimands, and Oikawa sniffs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Besides him, Kenma can feel Akaashi twitch. "The suitcase," Akaashi reminds them, carefully placing the plate onto the coffee table._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But we _always_ have pastries whenever Kenma is over, Iwa-chan. You can't break tradition," his cousin defends as he turns back around to look at them. "Yeah, we just put them in the guest room since we didn't know what to do with them."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Iwaizumi snorts, and Oikawa picks up their banter once again. Kenma picks at the pie on his plate while Akaashi's eyebrow twitches ever so slightly, and Lev is occupied wiping out Oikawa's entire supply of red bean paste bread._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Can we go upstairs to get them?" Kenma asks once he's finished chewing. He's only taken a few bites of his pie, but already finds himself full. He pushes the plate back towards to Oikawa, who raises an eyebrow at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It's for our investigation," Lev explains as he moves onto Kenma's pie. "We're investigating Kuroo's death because there a reward." Akaashi looks as though he wants to throttle the teen, for explaining everything so readily._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, sure," Oikawa replies offhandedly, shaking his hand. Kenma quietly gets up from the couch, padding towards the stairs. He turns around to give Akaashi his _please-make-sure-that-Lev-doesn't-accidentally-say-anything-about-what-actually-happened_ look as he leaves and Akaashi nods in confirmation. Lev's arms wave around as he chatters with Oikawa, voice getting louder by the second._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Inside of the guestroom, perfectly equipped with a horrid clash of a plaid and floral bed set that Oikawa and Iwaizumi most likely got at a sale, the metal suitcase lies on top of the bed. Next to it is a box filled with clothes and all sorts of knickknacks, all smelling like Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He's busy sorting through Kuroo's clothes and the cat trinkets he brought onto his cruise, when the window opens. Kenma drops the cat plush in surprise, quickly ducking behind the side of the bed furthest from the window._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Out of the window, with extremely labored breathing, comes Kuroo. He stumbles into the room with a loud clash, and Kenma hopes that Lev is loud enough to mask that._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma gets out from behind the bed, placing the metal suitcase back onto the bed. "I thought you were supposed to be in the car," he accuses._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Technically, I'm supposed to be dead. But look at me, perfectly alive and moving," Kuroo grins, gesturing to his entire body. "Sorry, sore spot," he apologizes when he notices Kenma's reaction, moving over to touch his arm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma lets out a long-suffering sigh, turning back around back around to open the suitcase. The lid lifts with a small click, and the interior is a dark blue velvet. Inside of the suitcase are two crows, painted a dark inky black, and a note that Kenma assumes to be from Sugawara to Daichi._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I died for this?" Kuroo says dryly, leaning over to pick up one of the crows. "Just two porcelain crows? Thanks, Suga." He tosses it in between his hands. The crow lands with a far bigger thump than a hollow porcelain figure ordinarily would._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"They're rare porcelain figures," Kenma corrects, leaning over to pick one up with his own hand. He's surprised by just how heavy the crow is._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"As if that makes it any better," Kuroo snorts, placing the crow back into the suitcase. Kenma puts his back as well, shutting the suitcase with a small click._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The next second, there's a small whoosh and a dark figure tumbles into the room. The intruder is dressed in black, face mostly obscured by the shadows of the room. He surveys the room, eyes lighting up in confusion as they land on Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Didn't we strangle you to death?" The intruder accuses, pointing to Kuroo. "Fox even threw you overboard just to make sure."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Who?" Kuroo asks. "And yeah, you guys did," Kuroo nods in affirmation, and Kenma slowly inches towards the door, making sure to stick to the shadows. "But I'm kind of alive again."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"God, this entire job was so ridiculous," the man mutters angrily as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a familiar red plastic bag. "I hate doing cleanup. This is why I should just go out on jobs in the first place. I guess I'll just have to kill you again now."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hey, hey," Kuroo raises his hands as he quickly glances at the door, locking eyes with Kenma. "Can't we come to some sort of agreement on this? A 60/40 split?" The man's eyes narrow and Kuroo slowly back away from the door. "I mean, your partner or whatever _did_ kill me after all. But I can do 50/50, too."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If I don't get both those figures, it's going to be a botched job and I do _not_ need that on my record, especially with the new rookie," the intruder spits out as he crosses his arms. His head swivels to the doors, and he locks eyes with Kenma. "Don't think you're getting away, either." _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma pales, he's standing right next to the door. Vaguely, he can hear Lev's enthusiastic shouts from the living room and the sounds of someone walking up the staircase. Kenma glances at Kuroo, absolutely frozen, and Kuroo's face looks terrified._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Don't you dare," Kuroo grits out as the man rushes forward._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________From the doorway, a volleyball whizzes past Kenma's face and hits the man square in the face. It sends him tumbling backwards, and staggering as he attempts to regain his balance. Another volleyball comes after that, pushing him backwards towards the window once again. Kenma stays next to the doorway, blood frozen as the frame._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The third volleyball hisses as it passes him, sending the man stumbling into the window. The glass shatters. The man falls through the window. He lands on the ground with a loud thump, and Kenma thinks he can even make out a crack or two._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Iwaizumi comes rushing forward to the window, sticking his head out to observe the man. Kenma glances at Kuroo, but it doesn't seem like his cousin's boyfriend has noticed him yet. Kuroo grins at him, nodding slowly as he slowly maneuvers himself inside the shadows to slip out the doorway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma follows Iwaizumi to the window, peering out into the sticky summer night. The man is lying on the ground, glass shards surrounding him. He doesn't stir, and Kenma holds his breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I didn't actually kill him, did I?" Iwaizumi mutters as they both continue to observe the man with morbid fascination._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Slowly, the man stirs, and Kenma draws in a breath. He picks himself up, brushing the glass shards off his body before turning around to send an irritated glance towards them. The man hobbles away, limping as he melts into the shadows._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Iwa-chan is such a brute," Oikawa croons as he pats Iwaizumi's bicep once he, Lev, and Akaashi had finished inspecting the glass outside for themselves. He sounds both oddly fond and proud. (Lev ends up accidentally cutting himself while picking up the glass, and Akaashi was more than a bit vexed when he had to patch up the private investigator.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Shut up, Asskawa."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You could have killed him though," Oikawa exclaims, and Iwaizumi smacks his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Later, when they're about to leave, Oikawa asks him quietly in the doorway, "You're sure you'll be okay though, Kenma?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Mutely, Kenma nods. His hands have been shaking ever since Iwaizumi took him back downstairs to the living room, and his legs don't want to stay still. Everything that happened still seems distant and vague, as though he were looking at it through someone else's eyes and not his._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Oikawa frowns at him. "Just because you decided to visit me this Thursday doesn't mean you get out of coming here this weekend," he scolds, and Kenma nods. Oikawa reaches over to pat his cheek and ruffle his hair. Kenma turns warm in response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He joins Lev, Akaashi, and Kuroo in the car. Kuroo continues to glance behind, sending him concerned look of _we're going to talk this over later when no one else is here_ the entire time. Oikawa continues to wave at them as Akaashi starts the car, before Iwaizumi forcefully drags him back inside._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When they get back to the apartment, Kenma stumbles into his room. Kuroo quickly follows, scooping Yaku up into his arms. Once he's changed and taken a quick shower, Kenma collapses onto his bed. He can hear the sound of water running and Kuroo hissing as he bumps into something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Kenma, breathe," Kuroo instructs once he stumbles out of the shower and has taken one of Kenma’s many blankets to wrap around him. (It's the neon orange one that Shouyou gave him for his birthday last year, soft and well-worn from frequent use)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma doesn't say anything as Kuroo wraps his arms around him. He tries to ignore the way his heartbeat quickens, and how his hands are still twitching when he looks down. He's been shaking the entire car ride and just can't seem to calm down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Breathe in," Kuroo whispers to him as he buries his face into Kenma's back. Kenma takes a sharp breath, holding it until his lungs feel as though they're about to burst. He lets out a shaky exhale and Kuroo squeezes him even more tightly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In the past week alone, Kenma has brought back Kuroo from the dead, killed a mortician, and almost gotten strangled to death by an agent from some sort of underground organization. Yaku hops onto the bed, mewing as he rubs against Kenma's blanket as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do you think," Kenma starts, then clamps his mouth shut. He looks back down at his hands, the very hands that bring people back from the dead when he touches them, and shuts his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He feels more drained than he has in the past year, and he's not sure if that's because he just revived his childhood friend, or that he almost got killed. With Kuroo, Kenma feels more at ease, yet the oppressive secret has gotten heavier ever since he came back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I think what you're doing is fine," Kuroo responds as he pulls Kenma into his chest. He's careful not to rest his chin on top of his head, but keeps it against his shoulder instead. "Your powers are a part of you. Besides, you probably would have been dragged into this somehow anyway."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma frowns as he leans back into Kuroo's chest. He breathes in Kuroo's scent as his eyelids flutter, and under different circumstances he'd be tempted to fall asleep right then and there. (But his pulse is racing much too quickly for him to relax anymore than this.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I killed your mother, Kuroo," Kenma informs him and he leans forward, pulling the blankets tightly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Behind him, he can feel Kuroo stiffen. His arms are only rigid for a moment before he relaxes once more. "That was an accident, you didn't know, Kenma," Kuroo whispers to him as he slowly turns Kenma around so they're facing one another._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If I didn't bring my mom back to life, your mom wouldn't have died," he mutters, looking down at his bed sheets. He picks at a stray string, hand shaking the entire time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo nudges the blanket, and Kenma still keeps his eyes glued to the sheets. "Hey, I'm not going to start disliking you just because of what you did." Kuroo says quietly as he leans back on his palms. "It's not your fault. You didn't know that."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I killed your mom, Kuroo," he states and inside of his chest, his heart twists. His chest feels light, the secret that he carried for years finally lifted. But now, anxiety comes crashing back down on him instead. (He's always carried the guilt with him wherever he's gone.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"And it was an accident," Kuroo repeats gently and Kenma can feel his eyes bore into him. "I don't hate you for it, Kenma." He reassures._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'm sorry," Kenma mumbles as his entire body trembles. His chest feels hollow, and he's at a complete loss for words as Kuroo pulls him back in for another hug. Kuroo is careful to make sure that their skin doesn't touch, and Kenma buries his face into the older boy's chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo spends the night rubbing circles into Kenma's back, and Kenma can feel himself nodding off as he does so. Slowly, his body stops shaking and his hands stop twitching. Kenma feels incredibly drained, more than he's felt in long time. He falls asleep like that (nineteen years, two hundred fifty-six days, twenty minutes, and thirty-one seconds), wrapped inside of a blanket, in Kuroo's arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Thirteen days, twenty-two hours, and four seconds from when Kenma last saw him, Oikawa Tooru waltzes into _Nekoma_ , humming lightly with a visible bounce to his step._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Shit," Kuroo says as they see Oikawa's figure approach the store. Kenma briefly glances up from his 3DS, watching Kuroo dive behind the front counter. "Sorry," Kuroo grins from underneath him and Kenma sighs._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yahoo," Oikawa chirps as he skips to the front counter, jumping onto one of the plastic chairs with a small _oomf_. He spins himself around once, twice, then a third time before finally stopping. It's not unusual for Oikawa to come drop by the shop before in between class or before volleyball practice, especially since it's the summer. But what's strange is that he's still dressed in his volleyball uniform._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Today is a great day, Kenma," He practically sings as he rests his chin in his palms. "You'll never guess what happened."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma doesn't respond, instead automatically saving his game of Nintendogs + Cats. He shuts his 3DS, placing it on the counter in front of him. Underneath the counter, Kuroo is busy leaning against Kenma's legs and Kenma ignores him as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Ushiwaka-chan died today," Oikawa croons and he sounds far too pleased. If it were anyone else, Kenma would be more frightened with the delight in their voice. "It was on the news. You know how he runs an animal clinic too right? Family business and all that. Well, apparently he got mauled by one of the animals."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Wordlessly, Kenma nods as Oikawa continues to spew his excitement at the news report. Akaashi gives Oikawa one exasperated look as he walks by with the new stock of video games._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Apple pie?" Oikawa asks as he looks at the menu, eyebrow raised._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Startled, Kenma looks away to avoid his cousin's gaze. He mutters, "Yeah, I finally decided to add it to the menu."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Oikawa doesn't press the issue, instead launching right back into where he left off. Kenma feels hot. He can feel Kuroo shaking underneath the counter and he just _knows_ Kuroo has that smirk on his face. The fact only makes him more flustered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I have to go to volleyball practice now, otherwise Iwa-chan will kill me," Oikawa says as he hops off his seat, picking up a random game from one of the racks. He tosses it onto the counter, pulling out his debit card. "You're still fine, right?" He asks as he leans over to swipe the card._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma gives him a small nod._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"See you later, Kenma," Oikawa says as he exits the door, waving goodbye. Kenma nods, then turns back to his game._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo springs out from the counter as soon as the door closes, bumping his head against the granite. "Ouch," he hisses as he clutches his head, slinking onto the kitchen table in the back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He doesn't say anything, returning to Animal Crossing instead. Right now, he's playing as one of his side villagers, Kuroo, and going on errands around the town. Kenma doesn't get to play for long, however, when the front door bursts open again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________This time it's Lev._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lev enters the shop with a large grin on his face, and Kenma's eyes close in on the manila folder underneath his arm. His stomach sinks. Kuroo finally turns around as well, placing a hand on Kenma's shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We have a case," Lev announces proudly as he drops the folder onto the front counter. It's a thick file of papers, and Kenma catches the words _Ushijima Wakatoshi_ on one of the papers that fall out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo reaches over for the folder, quickly flipping through the first few pages in the report. Akaashi places the box of video games down, brushing his hands as he begins to read the file as well. Kenma regretfully places down his 3DS as he joins the other two._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So Beef runs this family related animal place kind of thing. They raise a bunch of animals, but this morning they found out that the Beef was stabbed to death most likely by one of his eagles," Lev explains animatedly as he waves his hands around. "Oh, yeah, and he was on his way to becoming one of Japan's national volleyball players."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Lev," Akaashi says as he places the paper back down into the folder, "If you have enough time to collect all this information and read it, then why don't you ever have enough time for school."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The statement sends Lev sputtering and Kuroo moves to hide his laughter in Kenma's back. Kenma's chest vibrates as Kuroo continues to shake, and he feels a small warmth beginning through the tips of his toes, slowly making its way up towards his chest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, but school isn't nearly as fun as this," Lev pinches the bridge of his nose as he flops onto one of the chairs. "It gets so boring, and I get sleepy, and I can't concentrate. This is much more exciting!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Akaashi lets out one of his long suffering sighs, collecting all the papers and placing them back into the folder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You'll help me with this case though, right?" Lev asks, but the question is directed at Kenma. His eyes are big and wide, and in them, Kenma can see the eagerness and excitement (and also hurt if he refuses)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes," he responds, and Lev's eyes light up. The taller boy jumps up, flying across the counter to encompass Kenma in a hug. Kuroo immediately backs away, looking extremely affronted at Lev's arms wrapped around Kenma. Kenma's lips twitch upwards._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________When they arrive at the hospital, Kuroo stays behind in the car on the lookout as Kenma, Akaashi, and Lev go in. ("I promise I'll _actually_ stay in the car this time," Kuroo grins at them as he drums against the window)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In front of the entrance to the morgue is Kunimi, who's reclining in his chair at the desk. Akaashi gently prods him awake with one of the pencils on his desk. Kunimi rubs his eyes, looking only slightly irritated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Identification?" he asks as he stretches, not even bothering to stifle his yawn._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We're the animal experts," Akaashi lies with a practiced ease as he and Kenma pull out the IDs Lev forged for them earlier._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"And I'm the law student at the university," Lev beams as he pulls out his university ID. Kenma wonders how the dean would react if he actually knew where Lev's privileges were going to._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Have fun," Kunimi waves them off as he tosses the key to Lev_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It's not the first time they've been to the morgue, and each time Kunimi lets them in without so much as a glance. (There was the time he and Akaashi came as supposed neuroscientists. And the other time they came psychologists.) It's a good thing he's too lazy to actually care about the forgery, and doesn't want the hassle that comes with reporting them to the supervisors._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lev scampers off to find the drawer with Ushijima in it and pulls it out the same enthusiasm that used to frighten Kenma when they first started working together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So, the report says that he was pecked to death, but the Ushijima family doesn't think it was actually one of his eagles," Lev rattles off, and Kenma stares at the white sheet covering the body in a morbid fascination. "You can just your touch thingy, and then we can ask him who actually killed him, and then case solved!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I think law school requires actually investigating yourself, not getting Kenma to raise people from the dead," Akaashi deadpans as he peels back the sheet to reveal Ushijima's face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ushijima's body is completely rigid, and his face is set into a hard frown. His eyebrows are dark and furrowed, and Kenma gingerly leans over to touch his forehead. The color returns to his body and at twenty years, two hundred six days, twelve hours, forty-seven minutes, and six seconds old, Ushijima Wakatoshi bolts upright in the morgue._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He glances around, eyes first locking on Akaashi, then Lev. When he makes eye contact with Kenma, he can feel himself slowly melt from the intensity the man radiates. His eyebrows are furrowed, and his lips are still in the same frown they were in when he was dead. His aura is terrifying, and Kenma feels as though he's about to melt into the ground. He's never liked intense people._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Fifty-three seconds," he mutters as he looks down at his phone for the timer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I don't know if you know this or not but you kind of got pecked to death by your eagles," Lev starts off, gesturing to Ushijima's chest. Ushijima looks down, his expression unchanging as he notices the tiny holes scattered all over his chest. Kenma turns around, shutting his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Lev," Akaashi warns, but Lev ignores him. Akaashi shifts towards Kenma, hand reaching out to hold his wrist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But your family doesn't think so, and they're offering a reward for whoever can find the real murderer. Right now we're trying to find out who actually killed you, and if you could tell us that it'd kind of be great."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh," Ushijima says as he continues to observe the room around him. His expression is still stoic and completely unreadable. He's handling the news with a frighteningly calm demeanor. "I'm dead," he repeats as he looks down at his chest for the second time. "I suppose I won't be able to play for the national team anymore."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Thirty-three seconds," Kenma reminds them, slipping his phone back into his pocket. His fingers twitch against his thighs, and he gently removes his wrist from Akaashi's grasp._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"To make it simpler, we'd like to know who killed you," Akaashi prompts._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It wasn't the eagles," Ushijima says slowly. "I got a drink from another animal trainer and it tasted kind of bitter and like almonds. I don't really like almonds."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Which animal trainer was it?" Akaashi presses, but he's interrupted by Lev before Ushijima can respond._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Poison?" Lev jumps with excitement, bringing himself closer to Ushijima to look him in the eyes. "Was it cyanide? It had to be, since it tasted like almonds. We learned about that in my criminology class last year. It was actually pretty exciting."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I guess," Ushijima looks down at his hands. "Then I don't remember the rest, just tripping and hitting my head on the corner of the desk."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma looks down back at his timer, and there are eight seconds left. He reaches out, touching Ushijima's arm, and the man collapses back down on the metal tray that reverberates around the room. Once again, Kenma thanks the fact that Kunimi is the intern who looks after the morgue. The color fades out, and he's left pale and lifeless once more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We only have sixty seconds, Lev," he says as Lev pushes Ushijima back into the compartment. "Don't take them all up."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Sorry," Lev apologizes as they walk out the door. "But hey, we just need to find the animal trainer so it'll all be okay." Akaashi sighs, shaking his head as they pass by Kunimi, who's completely absorbed in texting someone on his phone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Outside of the hospital, Kuroo is sitting in the car. But he isn't alone. There's someone else with him, standing outside of the car talking (it's more like shouting) with Kuroo. Kenma can feel his stomach drop, and he tenses until he notices the bright orange hair of the bystander._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Is that Shouyou?" he blurts out and Shouyou looks up, smile stretching wider when he sees Kenma. Kenma smiles as Shouyou rushes towards him, and Shouyou throws his arms out to engulf Kenma in a hug. He feels a surge of happiness inside of his chest, not moving inside of Shoyou’s arms. "What are you doing here?" he asks when he finally regains his breath, though Shouyou's grasp hasn't loosened._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'm here to see a volleyball game and to train," Shouyou explains as he finally releases Kenma. "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend though, Kenma!" The younger boy exclaims, gesturing to Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma's mind falters on the word boyfriend. Inside of the car, Kuroo waves back at him with an easy smile. He looks down at his feet, then back up at Shouyou who's looking at him with wide, warm, brown eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Wait," Lev blurts out from behind him, "you're dating Kuroo? Why didn't you tell me!" Of course that's what Lev picks up. Kenma wants to disappear into a small puddle and not contemplate the life decisions that led up to this point._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Besides him, Akaashi has a small smirk on his face. He clamps his hand over Lev's mouth but still gives Kenma a knowing look, leaving Kenma even more flustered. He opens his mouth, wanting to clarify that he never actually said that Kuroo was his boyfriend._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He fidgets awkwardly underneath everyone's gaze. "It happened recently," he replies instead as he ducks his head. He feels like he's on fire, and Kenma can see Kuroo's smile growing behind the windshield. It's one of his more genuine, softer smiles._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma whips his head towards Shouyou, unable to bear the look Kuroo is giving him anymore. (It only makes him feel even hotter. But unlike most times, it's not because of potential mortification.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You should come by the shop if you're in the city," Kenma tells Shouyou, wringing his fingers together. He pauses momentarily to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I wanted to surprise you!" Shouyou exclaims, jumping up and Kenma smiles at the younger boy's antics. "But then I was coming out of the hospital because the coach told me to get my knees checked and I was running to meet Kageyama on time like _waaaaa_ then crashed into your boyfriend's car like _pyaaaaaa_. So then he asks me if I'm okay and then we start talking, and then you come out!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________By the time he finishes talking, Shouyou is panting. There's a large grin on his face, and his mouth continues to run faster than Lev's. Kenma listens to him, lips stretching wider every second._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh no," Shouyou yells as he smacks his forehead. He jumps in the air, spinning around as he looks around, as though he's just noticed his surroundings for the first time. "I was supposed to meet Kageyama at the university! That's what I forgot. He's going to kill me for being late."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We can send you there," Kenma offers, gesturing to the car. Inside of the car, Kuroo looks up and Lev vigorously waves back at them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Shouyou nods his head just as vigorously as Lev before he leaps into the back of the car, vibrating from excess energy in the middle seat. Kenma slides in after him, shutting the door behind as he continues to listen to Shouyou speak._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Boyfriend?" Kuroo queries, breaking the silence. Kenma doesn't respond, pulling the blanket around him closer. Kuroo buries his face into Kenma's side, whining softly until Kenma finally pauses his game in resignation. "I didn't know you liked me that much," he teases, playfully nudging Kenma's side._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma looks back down at his PSP. He can feel the heat creeping up the back of his neck, and he's glad there’s a blanket over his head. "Stop that. You're embarrassing." He twiddles the buttons of his game console._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"My heart feels all warm and fuzzy because of today," Kuroo continues, clasping his hands over his chest as he flutters his eyelids. He casts a glance back at Kenma, and Kenma lowers his head so his hair will fall over his face, so he can smile to himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If I didn't like you I wouldn't have brought you back," Kenma states, leaning against the arm of the couch._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo moves so he's sprawled across Kenma's lap, looking up at him. He brings his pointer finger up, about to touch Kenma's nose, before withdrawing his hand. "Are we officially dating then?" he asks lazily, looking up to smile at him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We're living together," Kenma responds._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"So you like me then?" he inquires, blinking innocently. Or, as innocently as possible it is for Kuroo to look._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's what I just said," Kenma acquiesces, and Kuroo's mouth spreads in a grin, showcasing his teeth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He flips over, so that he's now on his stomach, and quickly moving backwards to pull Kenma into a hug. Kenma can feel Kuroo putting his head against his back, and he knows that Kuroo's grin now covers his entire face. (It's the one he always smiles when he's truly delighted). Kenma chest tugs on his heart and he can feel the familiar warmth blossoming._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'd kiss you right now if I could," Kuroo mumbles into his back, and Kenma can feel the tips of his ears heat up. He turns back to his PSP, restarting the game._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Stop being so embarrassing, Kuro," he mumbles. Kuroo laughs into the blanket, tightening his hold on Kenma's waist._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Twenty one hours, eleven minutes, and forty-seven seconds after Kenma comes out of the morgue, he finds himself in front of one of the five main offices at _Ushijima Eagles_ with Yaku in a carrier bag. (Because, apparently, everything in Kenma's life needs to be complicated, and Ushijima Wakatoshi works with four other business partners.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It's one of the few times Kenma has put Yaku in a bag. Kenma looks straight at the door in front of him, hoisting Yaku's carrier bag up in front of his chest. He looks down the empty hallway, and he can feel his knees shake. He hates investigating on his own because of the fear that clogs up in his throat when he has to speak._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Yaku meows as he scratches at his carrier bag, and Kenma lets out a loud sigh. His heartbeat is slowly picking up speed, and he really wants nothing more than to be back at home and in his bed with his pile of blankets._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma reaches forward to open the door, only to have it swing open for him instead. He jumps back in surprise, nearly dropping Yaku's bag and Yaku howls in shock. The door closes just as quickly and Kenma presses himself against the opposite wall as he stares at the person who just came out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It's Kunimi, eyes equally as shocked for a brief moment before the his usual, droopy-eyed expression is in place. Kunimi gives him a small nod before stuffing his hands into his pockets, slouching as he slowly walks down the hall and out the building._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma sets Yaku's bag back down on the ground, raising his hand up once more. He hesitates before knocking, holding his breath just before he does so. Kenma waits a moment, then picks Yaku's carrier back up and opens the door._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kindaichi Yuutarou's office has plain white walls, with a desk in the center of the room. There's a window behind his desk, blinds open with sunlight filtering in. A filing cabinet sits in the corner, bits of paper sticking out. In the other corner, on top of a wooden cabinet, there's a cage with a light gray rabbit inside of it, nibbling on pieces of straw. In other words, nothing Kenma wouldn't expect from an office at an animal clinic._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kindaichi looks up, eyebrows reaching his forehead. His eyebrows slowly narrow, and Kenma balks as he takes the seat opposite of the animal trainer. His lips are pursued in a thin line, curving down slightly. It almost reminds Kenma of Kunimi, yet a thousand times more intimidating._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________Bunnies are cute. The trainer who's in charge of them shouldn't be scary at all. You should feel bad for whoever's going to investigate the pitbull animal trainer._ his mind supplies, in a voice eerily similar to Kuroo's._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma wipes his free hand on his thigh before speaking. "Are there any programs you guys offer for cats?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We don't have any cat trainers, but there are a few," Kindaichi replies. He looks at Kenma, prompting him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Just Kenma," Kenma mumbles as he looks back down at Yaku. Yaku is now lying down on his stomach, staring straight ahead at Kindaichi's feet._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kindaichi ducks down before coming back up with a binder in his hands. He flips through it, finger trailing across the page. "What kind of program would you like? We only have a few since we don't actually have a cat trainer, but there should still be a suitable one for your cat." Kenma watches Kindaichi closely, before turning back around to scan over the room for any abnormalities that he might have missed the first time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Is that because your boss died?" Kenma inquires, bracing himself for the reaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kindaichi freezes, head slowly turning upwards so that his eyes meet Kenma's. The temperature in the room plummets, and Kenma holds his breath as Kindaichi continues to stare at Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Kind of," Kindaichi mutters, turning back to the binder. He flips through a page, entire body stiff as he does so. "We had our rough spots, but Ushiwaka wasn't a terrible boss. It's different now that he's gone."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do you know how he died?" Kenma presses._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No," Kindaichi responds as he sits up even straighter in his chair. "We all went out for lunch to give him the weekly updates and I updated him on the bun– rabbits, and that was it." Kindaichi looks down at his lap as he speaks, chewing on his lower lip._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma scrutinizes Kindaichi's face, looking for any signs. Kindaichi's mouth is drawn into a frown, and his eyebrows are even more furrowed than when Kenma first entered his office. He decides against interrogating Kindaichi even further, to prevent any possible suspicion._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Sorry for your loss," Kenma says, for a lack of something better to say. He knew Ushijima through Oikawa's increasingly disheveled looks as a match between their respective high schools drew closer. Kindaichi doesn't respond, bouncing his knee up and down instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do you think you can come back some other time and we can talk about signing your cat up?" Kindaichi suggests, finally breaking the silence. "I'll even give you some compensation or something, if that's what you want."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma nods in response, bending over to pick up Yaku. He quickly exits Kindaichi's office, leaving the rabbit breeder alone in his office._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma has only reopened the shop for thirty minutes and forty-two seconds before he has people barging into his shop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It's four, very tall, very intimidating people and Kenma lets out a small squeak as he watches them parade up to the shop. He can make out the tall spike of Kindaichi's hair, a man with black streaks in his hair and a pout, and another trainer with red hair and a sinister smirk. The fourth man stumbles behind them, nearly crashing into the redhead. Leading the group is a much shorter woman, walking with purpose as she swings open in the door. Kenma begins to crouch underneath the front counter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh, no you don't," Tanaka Saeko, twenty-five years, seventy-six days, twenty hours, fifty-minutes, and nine seconds old, pug breeder and pit bull dog trainer of Ushijima Eagles, snaps as she marches towards the counter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Woah, hey there," Kuroo interjects, using his hand to help him jump over the front counter. He holds out his hands, blocking Saeko, and Kenma looks back at the kitchen where Akaashi is. Akaashi frowns, dusting off his hands as he strides towards the front. He places a hand on Kenma's head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You three--" Saeko begins, jabbing a finger into Kuroo's chest with each syllable._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The front door swings open, and it's Lev with a familiar manila folder in his arms. "Kenma, guess what I just," the private investigator announces brightly flipping through the papers in the folder. He looks up, voice trailing off as soon as he sees the group of people in front of him. "Uh-oh," he says, smile dissolving instantly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"And you," Saeko turns around, glaring at Lev before turning back around to Kuroo. "Just what exactly do you four think you were doing?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Investigating?" Kuroo offers. The glare Saeko gives Kuroo makes Kenma glad that he's no longer the one facing her head-on._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What do you guys want with Ushijima?" A young man accuses, bangs flapping against his forehead as he scowls at them. Kenma doesn't recognize him as one of the animal trainers in the profiles Lev had made._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tendou Satori, leans over towards Kindaichi, not quite whispering, "Goshiki really gets worked up over Wakatoshi, doesn't he?" Kindaichi doesn't respond, fidgeting instead. Tendou gives him a lazy smirk when they make eye contact. Kenma can feel chills run down through his body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I thought we were friends, bro," Bokuto Koutarou, the owl breeder, wails as he looks at Kuroo. His gold eyes glisten with sadness. "You too? Were you guys both just lying to me?" He looks at Akaashi, lips drawn into a frown._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I bumped into him before I went to Saeko's office," Akaashi explains to Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We are friends though," Kuroo amends quickly, stepping up towards Bokuto. He places a hand on the man's shoulder, "You're my best bro. We were investigating Ushijima's murder, but I meant everything I said back in your office."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma ears turn up, and he wonders what exactly Kuroo did _say_ while he was investigating Bokuto._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do you guys know who killed Wakatoshi?" Tendou asks, eyes growing large as he glances at Saeko._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No, we don't," Akaashi responds dryly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh, that's a shame," Tendou remarks as he lets out a sigh. "And here I was, thinking my hunch was right. I suppose I've been losing my touch. Though, I guess I was right with him over there."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lev gives them a guilty look as Tendou points at him with his thumb. And this is exactly why they investigate together, with Akaashi and Kenma observing. "It's not my fault," Lev defends as he holds up his arms. "I was careful! I made sure not to let anything slip."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Akaashi shakes his head, saying nothing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"If you guys know anything about Ushijima's murder, you guys have to tell us." Goshiki demands, stepping up to the counter. There's determination in his eyes and Kenma slowly backs away until he hits the kitchen counter. Goshiki's passion scares him. (Kenma doesn't really like passionate people. They tend to drain him of energy.)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"All we know is that he was poisoned. Someone gave him a drink," Lev answers. Akaashi and Kuroo whip their heads around to look at Lev. Lev laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his neck. "Sorry?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Bokuto was the one who gave Ushijima a drink today," Goshiki states, turning around to glare at the owl breeder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"He did offer to pay for all the drinks today," Kindaichi affirms, scratching the back of his neck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Bokuto's frowns, and even his hair deflates with his mood. "But I always pay for something when we go out to eat," he counters. "I would never kill Ushijima!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's exactly what a killer would say," Saeko says, taking a step towards Bokuto._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You know I didn't murder him though!" Bokuto repeats, glancing at Kuroo as his eyes widen and swell with moisture. He looks at Akaashi too, face pleading with the two of them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You knew about this?" Kenma asks, taken off guard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Well, yeah," Kuroo replies, "But I know Bokuto didn't kill Ushijima. He's my bro, he wouldn't."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"But he bought the drinks," Tendou points out, looking somewhat exasperated. "So I guess my hunch _was_ right in the end." He grins loftily as Bokuto's expression becomes more and more panicked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I didn't though!" Bokuto wails as Goshiki's glowers at him with an indignation that Kenma has never seen before. "Kuroo, you know I didn't! There was going to be a merge, but it wasn't me."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I'll get you out, I promise," Kuroo shouts as Bokuto is dragged out of the door by Goshiki. "It's a bromise!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lev’s papers are spread out across the living room floor when Kenma and Kuroo arrive at his apartment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________(Bokuto's distressed call to Akaashi and Kuroo for four hours, thirty-eight minutes, and twenty-five seconds had firmly convinced Kuroo that they had to try and prove the man innocent. Kenma just wants a simple, uncomplicated case for once)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Did you guys bring Yaku?" Lev asks as soon as he opens the door. His hair is sticking up in the back of his head. There's a wild look in his eyes,the one he always has before in the middle of an investigation. Or just before he's about to do something incredibly stupid._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo holds up his arms in response, stroking Yaku's back as he does so. Yaku purrs, and Kuroo has a soft smile on his face as he nuzzles Yaku's nose and croons. Kenma wishes Kuroo wouldn't do this where Lev can see. For some odd reason he wants this side of Kuroo to be something that only he sees._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yaku," Lev exclaims, beaming as he reaches for the cat. He sticks out his tongue just before his hands close around Yaku. Yaku rubs his head against Lev's chest for a brief second before he wriggles out of Lev's arms._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Nice try," Kuroo snickers, before stepping into the apartment. Akaashi gives them a small nod as they make their way into the living room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"My parents and sister are gone for the weekend, so we can use this as our headquarters," Lev tells them as he steps around a small stack of papers. Yaku trails after him, hopping on top of the small stack._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I started looking into the merge Bokuto was talking about," Akaashi says as he reaches for Yaku. Yaku sits in his lap contently, arching his back as Akaashi runs his hand through his tabby fur._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why don't you let me hold you," Lev complains as he looks at Akaashi jealously. “Playing with Yamamoto isn’t nearly as fun. He always pecks me whenever I try to pick him up.” He slowly leans over, hand outreached to grasp Yaku. Just as his hand is about to close in, Yaku scampers off and leaps into Kuroo's lap. Kuroo smirks at Lev, beaming with pride._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"He was my cat originally," Kuroo remarks as he scratches Yaku's ears._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It looks like it was just Saeko's department," Kenma informs as he skims through a few of the papers near Akaashi. "But Ushijima rejected the offer right before he died."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Then it'd make most sense if she were the murderer," Kuroo remarks as he peers over Kenma's shoulder. "The new contract was most beneficial for her, too."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I guess this means we get to investigate some more," Lev beams. Kenma sighs, already beginning to prepare himself for the worst._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Nineteen years, two hundred eighty-nine days, sixteen hours, nineteen minutes, and forty-five seconds old, Kozume Kenma is in the main office of _MaD dOgZ_ , which looks as though it had it’s name spraypainted onto the building. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo has Akaashi's cellphone in his hand, holding it away from his face as Bokuto continues his maudlin call. (It's one filled with too many "bro"s and "bromise"s for Kenma's liking.) Kenma gives Akaashi a look as the call continues and lets out a sigh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In the corner of the room, Kyoutani Kentarou glowers at Lev with his arms crosses over his chest. His eyes are narrowed as Lev continues to search around the room, sorting through Yahaba and Kyoutani's file cabinets and drawers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo finally hands Akaashi's phone back to him, giving Kenma an apologetic smile as he does so. "Yes, we're investigating it right now, Bokuto," Akaashi placates the owl trainer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma looks at Yahaba's body, slumped over his desk. A puddle of coffee pools around his head, his hair stained a dark brown from the drink. Kenma wonders what exactly he's done to deserve a life where things are never easy and simple._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Can you guys find out who the murderer is now?" Kyoutani growls as he steps forward. Kenma slowly inches towards Kuroo, wanting the comforting presence of the alive again man._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Well, he was poisoned," Lev calls out. His voice comes out muffled and he lets out a yelp as he hits head against the bottom of the desk before finally standing up. "Kenma can find out, though," he boasts as he stares down Kyoutani._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kyoutani is no where near impressed. He looks at the door, letting out a small hmph as he taps his foot impatiently. "Are you going to investigate or not?" he grits out after fifty-seven seconds have passed, glaring at Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We can only do it if you're outside," Kuroo laughs, and Kenma can see the strained smile on his face. He holds up his hands, as if to placate the angry pit bull dog trainer if he potentially snaps. Kenma flinches instinctively. Kyoutani's temperament is remarkably like Saeko's, except much rougher and coarser._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why?" Kyoutani sneers. Kenma can feel Akaashi's exasperation levels spike beyond his normal ones._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What we do is classified business," Lev defends, leaning over so him and Kyoutani are face to face. Kyoutani bring his head back, snapping it forth._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There's a sickening crack, rivaling the one Kenma heard when the intruder fell out of Oikawa and Iwaizumi's guest room window. Lev reels back, clutching his head and Akaashi shakes his head with disapproval._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________" _Ow_ ," Lev whines as blood trickles down his nose. He makes no move to staunch the bleeding and Kenma hopes that the dog clinic doesn't mind clean up blood stains in addition to Yahaba Shigeru's body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why do you want to be here so badly?" Kuroo counters as Akaashi looks for a tissue. Kuroo angles his body ever so slightly so he's now in between Kenma and Kyoutani. Akaashi hands a box of Kleenex to Lev, forcing him to hold one to his nose and staunch the bleeding._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kyoutani freezes, and a flush creeps up his neck. There are red blotches all over his neck and face, and Kenma has never seen anyone turn red so quickly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's none of your business," Kyoutani argues, trying to growl the response only to end up stammering. It ruins the whole effect and shatters the intimidating illusion from before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"And how Kenma investigates Yahaba's death is none of your business either," Akaashi replies evenly, glancing at Lev's bloody nose in distaste. "We're going to clean up Lev's bloody nose, and you're going to help," Akaashi commands, leaving no room for argument._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Fine," Kyoutani grits out, sulking as he follows Akaashi and Lev out the door. He gives Kuroo a dark glance just before he slams the office door behind him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma sighs as he walks up to Yahaba's desk, Kuroo following him. He looks down at Yahaba's lifeless body, hand hovering right above the man's pale hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You don't have to touch them if you don't want to," Kuroo tells him, careful to place a hand on Kenma's shoulder blade. "We can just find out the old-fashioned way."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma doesn't respond, withdrawing his hand as he glances at Yahaba's body. He looks up at Kuroo, whose eyes are brimming with concern, only to pull his head back immediately. "It's fine," he mutters, fidgeting underneath Kuroo's gaze._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Why do you touch them, Kenma?" Kuroo asks, his hand growing heavier by the second. Kenma doesn't respond, looking down at Kuroo's shoes instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Do we have to talk about this now, Kuro?" Kenma questions, only a tad bit irritated. He brings his head back up, looking Kuroo in the eye. (He doesn't tell him that secretly, he does kind of like the thrill of investigating. He doesn't say how a part of him still feels guilty for accidentally killing Kuroo's mother)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Didn't know you had that in you," Kuroo grins at him, arms twitching upwards before he brings them back down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You're being annoying," Kenma deadpans as he turns back towards Yahaba's body, bringing his hand to the man's hair. Behind him, Kuroo radiates a mixture of smugness and pride as the color flows back into Yahaba's body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Yahaba Shigeru, twenty years, one hundred and fifty-three days, seven hours, fifty-two minutes, and shudders as he wakes, gasping as he begins to sit upright. There are coffee stains in his face, along with coffee dripping from his hair. Yahaba blinks at them as he wipes the coffee off._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Kuroo Testurou," Kuroo grins at Yahaba, taking his hand to shake vigorously. He launches into his spiel immediately, "You more or less died, more than the less before and less of the more right now, and we're investigating your murder."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I think I was poisoned," Yahaba answers, combing his fingers through his hair. He no longer looks as panicked as he was when he first woke up, and he's definitely one of the people who've taken being alive again (temporarily) better._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It looks like it was in the coffee," Kenma points to the coffee spill in the middle of Yahaba's desk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I was having a meeting with the other trainers from Ushijima Eagles, but I didn't drink the coffee until they were gone," Yahaba answers. He wrinkles his nose at the coffee-stained papers on his desk, putting them into a different pile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Did anyone give you the coffee?" Kuroo interrogates._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Yahaba shakes his head. "The intern, Goshiki, he got us all coffee. And besides, I saw Saeko drink as well."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo flashes Yahaba a smile, gently tugging the hem of Kenma's jacket to pull him aside. Kenma looks at him, "We only have forty-six more seconds, Kuro."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah, I know that," he whispers back, casting a glance at Yahaba. Yahaba waves at him, sending him a smile and Kuroo returns a small wave. "But I think we should keep him alive, so that way we can bring him to the other animal trainers and see who really killed him."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No," Kenma responds firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I don't bring people back to life for more than a minute."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You brought _me_ back," Kuroo points out and Kenma almost hates him for it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That was an exception," he mutters, looking down at the ground. He can feel Yahaba's eyes boring holes into his head, and Kenma shifts uncomfortably._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yes, I know, but do you think you can make an exception for him too?" Kuroo asks, voice pleading. Kenma's heart squeezes in response. "You saw Kyoutani."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I can't control who's dies in exchange. What if Akaashi or Lev dies? Or even Kyoutani?" Kenma protests, and the counter is weak and Kuroo knows it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You took that risk with me, though," Kuroo argues back without a heartbeat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Fine," he says after a moment of hesitation, just because he can. Kenma knows he was never really going to say no in the first place. (It always works out this way with Kuroo)._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Luckily, neither Akaashi nor Lev is the one who ends up dead (though maybe it's unlucky, considering how Kenma's luck has been running lately). Kyoutani is just as angry and alive as he was when he left the room when he, Kuroo, and Yahaba comes out._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma has four sets of eyes staring at him in the middle of Tanaka Saeko's office. He fidgets underneath Tendou's gaze, and, not for the first time, muses on how he even came to end up in this situation. (Maybe he ought to strengthen his resolve for once.) Kenma looks around Saeko's office, observing the two porcelain animals on her desk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"We've solved the case," Lev announces to the animal trainers. Four heads swivel to him immediately, and Kenma feels a little bit more at ease. "We know who Beef's murderer is."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Really?" Goshiki asks, eyes brimming with hope as he looks at Lev. "Who is it? Have they been arrested yet?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What Lev meant to say was that we'll know who his murderer is in just a few minutes," Kuroo corrects as he grins at Kenma, eyes twinkling. Kenma huffs, turning towards the door instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________There's a soft murmur that runs among the animal trainers. Goshiki's eyebrows are furrowed and he looks incredibly indignant. Saeko sucks on her lollipop as she spins around in her chair, making a small pop whenever she pulls out the candy. Tendou has a lofty grin on his face, and Kindaichi glances around the room, looking uneasy._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The door opens quietly, with Akaashi's body first coming through and Yahaba's following. A silence sweeps over the room. Everyone's eyes lock onto Yahaba._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Hey," Yahaba beams as he waves at them, smiling, but there's no warmth on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Goshiki is shaking, completely pale and eyes drawn wide in fear. Tendou observes the intern curiously, watching him as he continues to quiver. Saeko looks at Goshiki as well, only raising an eyebrow at Yahaba's entrance. Kindaichi's mouth is open, shock evident on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"How?" Goshiki cries out, standing up. He looks around the room, head snapping back and forth so quickly that Kenma is surprised it hasn't come off yet. Goshiki's hair flops with him as he runs out the room, tears at the corner of his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma listens to the clattering outside of Saeko's office. There are growls coming from Kyoutani, and he can hear Lev's laughter as something heavy hits the floor. Goshiki cries out in pain, and Kenma can't help but pity the intern. Lev and Kyoutani can be intimidating enough on their own._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You look pretty good," Saeko remarks as her eyes run up Yahaba's body. She sucks on her lollipop as she props her feet up on her desk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"No thanks to you," Yahaba returns, smiling still not slipping off his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You seem happier these days," Shouyou remarks to him, later that afternoon. The two of them are behind one of the video game shelves, and Kenma is trying to delay opening the shop for as long as possible._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What do you mean?" he asks, taken by surprise. He leans against Shouyou's shoulder, curling around the younger boy contently. Shouyou radiates warmth, and Kenma realizes how much he misses direct contact with Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I don't know," Shouyou makes a face as he sticks out his tongue. "Before, you were more of _gaaaaahh_. But now you're have more _huwaaa_ and _waaah_." Shouyou waves his hands around as he speaks, jostling Kenma._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh," Kenma says, turning back to his game. Shouyou peers over his shoulder, breathing softly against Kenma's neck as he does so. Kenma very regretful returns to the front counter after Shouyou leaves for volleyball practice, his personal source of warmth (that he can actually touch) now gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Bokuto's release from jail involves one very long, very maudlin hug (eight minutes and twenty-five seconds. Hugs aren't supposed to be that long, that's bordering on cuddling) with Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"You actually got me out," Bokuto wails, burying his arm into Kuroo's shoulder. Kenma observes them from behind the counter, feeling oddly restless. "You're the best bro ever," he exclaims._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Of course I did," Kuroo affirms as he pats Bokuto's back. "You're my bro. That's what bros do: get their bro out of jail."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Lev looks down at him, on the opposite side of the counter. "Are you jealous, Kenma?" he asks, green eyes shining with mischief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma pauses, "No, I'm not." He turns back down to his game, frowning._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Bokuto finally untangles himself from Kuroo, and Kenma lets out a sigh. The man locks eyes on Akaashi, who's just come out from the storage room. His face lights up as he starts running across the shop, feet thudding against the tiled floors. He opens his arms, and Kenma can only hope that he doesn't knock over the entire shelf of new releases._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Akaashi staggers backwards as Bokuto launches himself towards him. He drops his broom, arms slowly coming up in a loose circle around the owl trainer's back. "This isn't a volleyball court," Akaashi reprimands, faint blush tinting the tips of his ears._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Thank you," Bokuto shouts as he tightens his arms around Kenma's shop assistant. Akaashi slowly pats Bokuto's back, faint blush becoming a darker red as he does so._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma returns back to his game, making sure to save it before he restarts. He begins to slowly tune out Bokuto's booming voice and Akaashi's placating "Bokuto"s. Lev joins in with Bokuto in whatever strange activity he was engaged in originally, and Kenma hopes that Akaashi can keep them both in check so that the shop doesn't burn down._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________His attention from the video game is diverted when Kuroo hops up to the front counter, half his body sprawled over the dark granite as his head rests on his arms. Kenma pauses his game before looking over._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo grins at him, atrocious hair framing his face. Kenma glances back down at the game, trying to ignore the way his chest stirs. "You know you can just tell me what you want to say instead of staring at me like that, Kuro," he says dryly._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Our Kenma is really cute, isn't he?" Kuroo sighs as he props his chin up with his palm. His smile is wicked as he continues to look at Kenma, but his eyes are soft. "I have a surprise for you later," he tells him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma doesn't respond, but he appreciates the sentiment nonetheless. Kuroo continues to sit at the counter, watching Kenma with a fond smile on his face._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma wakes to the sound of clattering metal in the kitchen and the soft scent of apple pie. He lies in bed, bringing the blankets in closer to his body as he rolls over to cast a glance at Kuroo's bed. It's empty, save for Yaku lying in the middle of a rumpled blanket nest._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He buries himself into his blankets. It's warm and comfortable, and Kenma really doesn't want to get out of bed at all today. He closes his eyes, nuzzling his pillows, and allows Kuroo's soft humming to lull him back to sleep._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________A few minutes later, there's a small weight on his body, and Kenma opens an eye to check where Yaku is. Yaku is still on Kuroo's bed, body rising and falling in the middle of a patch of sunlight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Blearily, Kenma rubs his eyes as he props himself against the headboard. On top of his blanket is another cat. Kenma blinks at the orange feline, who arches its back as it stretches._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Oh, so you finally woke up," Kuroo notes as he enters the room, spatula in his left hand. He grins as he sits down on Kenma's bed, "And looks like you met the new guy too."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Is this the surprise?" Kenma asks as he reaches for the cat. He runs his hand through the orange coat, admiring the softness and smiling as the cat rubs back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Yeah. I got him since you can't actually touch Yaku, or me." Kuroo explains as he smooths Kenma's bed sheets. "Are you going to name him?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma holds out his finger, allowing the cat to swipe at it with a paw. His lips quiver as he pulls the cat into his lap. "Shouyou," he says. His orange coat, and the way the sunlight filtering in through the crack in the curtains, reminds him of Shouyou's hair. He runs a hand through Shouyou's fur, and Shouyou purrs in response._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo laughs, grin spreading across his face. "I can't believe that you named your cat after your friend," he snickers behind his hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kenma gives Kuroo a look before he returns to petting Shouyou's fur. "Thanks," he mutters, and his chest floods with warmth and gratitude. He smiles to himself as he continues to play with Shouyou._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Wait a minute. I need to get something," Kuroo tells him as he rushes out the room, nearly tripping over his feet. Kenma's lips twitch upwards at the sight of Kuroo scrambling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He comes back a moment later, a sheet of plastic wrap in his hands instead of a spatula. Kuroo grins as he sits on the edge of Kenma's bed, right next to him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"What's that for?" Kenma asks, pouting as Shouyou jumps out of his arms and scampers onto Kuroo's bed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"It's so I can kiss you without dying," Kuroo whispers, and that's the only precursor he gets._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kuroo leans in, putting the plastic wrap to Kenma's lips. Kenma's eyes flutter, and he shuts them instinctively as he feels the weight of Kuroo's lips against the plastic wrap. It strange, and somewhat awkward, but Kenma can feel the way his heartbeat quickens inside of his chest as he does so._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kozume Kenma is nineteen years, two hundred ninety-three days, ten hours, five minutes, and forty-eight seconds when he has his first (almost) kiss with Kuroo._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> \+ again, happy birthday rei!! ilysm that words cant even describe!! ill try not to get all gross and mushy here  
> \+ the title is a reference to this [poem](https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/anyone-lived-pretty-how-town) by e.e. cummings  
> \+ lev has a pet rooster named yamamoto which was completely coincidental  
> \+ yes, kindaichi is kunimi's boyfriend (uwu)  
> \+ there was actually a whole other alternate ver i was considering, where kuroo was the piemaker  
> \+ thank you to rt who helped look over my typos last minute and listened to me complain. also thank you to ches who listened to my constant whining and incoherent rambling on skype for the past month, let me bounce ideas off of her, and a half and shouted at me to actually write. both of you guys are amazing and helped make this fic much less of a mess than it would have been  
> \+ once again, haPPY BIRTHDAY REI!!! less than three less than three less than three (or alternatively, carrot carrot carrot)


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